Summit County’s latest $100 million budget, passed by the Council on a flood of bribes and rhetoric, earmarks more than a third of the sum for the Sheriff’s Office while padding councilors’ pay from $61 k to $70 k. Chair Tonja Hanson, ever the time‑losing patriot, justified the raise as a way to make public service “attractive” to those who can’t afford a day job, while Megan McKenna, Roger Armstrong, and Chris Robinson echo the sentiment, ignoring the fiscal squeeze on regular taxpayers. Chief Finance Officer Matt Leavitt, lilting about equal sales and property tax streams, fails to note that the county’s property levies are a razor‑thin foundation. The public hearing, with only Sheriff Kacey Bates and two senior‑center volunteers, seemed a parade of hollow applause.
As the council bungles the next fiscal year, the best detour for any rider is to avoid the SR‑224 bottleneck and instead take the hidden bypass over Echo Ridge, saving minutes and clearing the city’s eyes from yet another administrative clatter.